AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Slippery Rock University baseball team lost to Grand Valley State University, 6-1, Saturday morning in its final contest at the RussMatt Invitational in Auburndale, Florida.
 
Slippery Rock exits non-conference play with an overall record of 5-14. SRU's focus now shifts towards Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division play as 28 of SRU's final 30 games will be PSAC West contests.
 
Pitcher James Divosevic made his first start of the season Saturday and strung together a solid outing in which he scattered 10 hits and four runs over six innings. The only inning in which the Lakers (6-5-1) truly go to Divosevic was in the third when five hits resulted in three GVSU runs.
 
Divosevic, who also had four strikeouts, proceeded to throw two more scoreless innings before GVSU added an additional run in the sixth.
 
Frankie Jezioro helped cut in to the Lakers' 4-0 lead in the seventh with a bunt-single. After taking second base on a GVSU fielding error, Jezioro stole his eighth base of the year to get to third base. Jezioro later scored on a Kyle Wise RBI-single to make it a 4-1 game.
 
However, GVSU pitcher Jon Griffith regrouped to get out of the seventh with consecutive pop outs to end the threat. SRU was limited to just one hit in the eighth and ninth innings while the Lakers tallied two additional runs in the eighth to earn the 6-1 win.
 
Jay Cortese came on for Divosevic in the seventh inning. In two innings pitched he gave up two runs on two hits and three walks.
 
Alex Bell had two of The Rock's six hits on the day with Jezioro, Wise, Ty Zimmerman and Tyler Walters accounting for the rest of SRU's base hits. Walters and Bell exit the Florida trip with respective hitting streaks of eight and six games.
 
Slippery Rock opens up conference play with a four-game series against Pitt-Johnstown March 18-19. The Rock and the Mountain Cats play at UPJ Friday and at SRU Saturday. First pitch of game one on both days is scheduled for 1 p.m.